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DEVIANT

The Hunt for Grant Hardin

DEVIANT

Cold Open Media

True Crime

4.8610 Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On May 25, 2025, Grant Hardin, a convicted killer and former police chief, walks out of the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, disguised in a makeshift guard uniform. His escape sets off an intense manhunt involving the FBI, state police, and federal agencies. In this episode of DEVIANT, host Andrew Iden delves into Hardin's dark history, including the brutal 2017 murder of James Appleton and a cold case sexual assault from 1997. Expert insights from former prosecutor Nathan Smith and corrections consultant Michael Cantrell reveal the challenges law enforcement faces in capturing such a dangerous individual. After more than two weeks on the run, Hardin is found less than two miles from the prison he escaped, raising critical questions about the facility's security. Also, a look at the complexities of manhunts and the serious threats posed by escaped convicts like Hardin. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, everybody. So before we get to this week's show, two quick things I wanted to mention. I've been asked a few times by friends, faceless people on the internet. Hey, what's the best way to support the show? Well, I'll tell you what I always tell them. Share it with a friend or three. Because oddly enough, it's word of mouth that is still the best way to find new ears.

0:22.0

Secondly, we really like making this show

0:24.3

and jumping into all the videos,

0:26.2

the audio, the police documents,

0:28.4

trial research.

0:29.7

We're kind of nerdy that way.

0:31.4

And so if you want to support that,

0:33.5

you can join our Patreon.

0:35.4

The first tier begins it free,

0:38.3

and then it goes from there. I mean, who doesn't like free?

0:40.3

There's nearly 400 miles of Arkansas between Salome Springs in the northwest corner to the city of Blytheville in the northeast corner.

1:00.0

It's about as far apart as possible when you're going west to east in northern Arkansas.

1:06.0

And right there, almost in the middle, is the town of Calico Rock population about 1,000. It's also home to the

1:13.3

north central unit, one of the larger facilities in the Arkansas State Prison System. It houses

1:18.8

800 inmates. And on Sunday, May 25, 2025, one of those inmates, number 168-541, has had enough. Enough of the rules, enough of the cold

1:33.0

and hard cells, working in the kitchen, enough of life and lockup. The heavy, clean-shaven bald guy

1:40.9

finds a black pair of pants, a black shirt, and a vest, common prison

1:44.8

guard dress, and walks through the gate of the North Central Unit and out into the free world.

1:51.6

No more bars, no more kitchen work, no more rules. Undetected and unnoticed.

1:59.7

We are following breaking news right now out of Arkansas, where the manhunt is currently expanding for a convicted killer.

2:06.3

To the manhunt for the former Arkansas police chief and convicted killer who escaped from prison.

2:11.4

Our top story tonight, the intensifying search for the devil in the Ozarks.

...

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